3 minute read
Batcombe
REP & DISTRIBUTOR: Johnny Gibbs jg@intramar.co.uk 83187
Spring is on its way to the valley. The bluebells are pushing through and primroses are beginning to appear in the woods and hedgerows.
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Bolster the Beams (BtB)
The campaign continues. A huge thanks to Andrew Graham and Paul Attwell who organised the Quiz Night at Leigh Village Hall on 18 February. I’m sure it will have been a fun evening. If you are yet to donate to help us secure the future of our beautiful church, please email our treasurer, Julie Gibbs (julie.m.gibbs@ googlemail.com. On a more general note, the BtB the campaign is going well, but we still need to raise more before we can begin the work to restore the Church beams.
New sign planned
To complement the new sign at the bottom of Great Head Lane, a new sign is planned for the top of Stile Way. Most of the cost has been built into the High Stoy Parish council budget plans for 2022,
supported by an anonymous donor, and this will hopefully be in place soon.
Photo: Emma Shelford
Cable theft
Last month, much of Batcombe suffered from over 10 days of disruption to their phone lines and computers. Vandals stole the cables from under the road between Holywell and Evershot. The copper wire is very valuable apparently. What is the world coming to?
The prize-winners are:
January 2022
1st No. 29 Marion Fudge 2nd No. 38 Will Shelford 3rd No. 51 Kerry Straughan
High Stoy Parish Council
Chairman’s notes
I would like to thank everyone who attended the open meeting at Leigh Village Hall on 14 December to discuss the Common Farm planning application. We were delighted to have almost 60 attendees. It would be fair to say that there was a ‘robust’ discussion between the audience and the owners of Common Farm. The meeting was very helpful, giving the Parish Council a strong steer on our response to the planning application.
The last High Stoy Parish Council meeting was held on 25 January. We continue to support Leigh Parish Council in our endeavour to have the 40mph speed limit extended from its current position to a position south of Three Gates Farm. To support our case, speed measurements were made over 14 days in September/October using solar powered radar equipment mounted on a telegraph pole. This study revealed that over one third of the traffic travelling southbound from Totnell Corner towards the corner at Three Gates was exceeding 40mph. It is clearly going to take considerable effort to extend the speed limit, but with Leigh Parish Council we will continue to push to make this happen.
We are delighted that the fingerpost in Batcombe has been refurbished (see the article in the last issue of the WVM). This was part funded by the Parish Council and a generous anonymous contribution. Fingerposts are part of the charm of the Dorset countryside and it is disappointing that some are in poor condition. At this meeting it was agreed that we would allocate funding for refurbishment of another fingerpost during 2022.
We have written to Dorset Council requesting urgent action to repair the drainage system and blocked gullies in Hermitage. The issues with the drainage system have resulted in a longstanding flooding problem outside several properties in the village. We are awaiting Dorset Council’s response.
A new grit/salt box is about to be installed outside Church Farm to provide grit for the road next to Hilfield church, which can be very slippery with black ice in the winter. It is planned to install another grit/salt box in Hermitage during 2022.
In addition to being Chairman, I am currently the Rights of Way Liaison Officer for the Parish Council. If you find any stiles etc. that require attention, please let us know.
Other subjects discussed at the Parish Council meeting included damage to roadside verges by HGVs and tractors, numerous planning applications and setting the precept for 2022/23.
The minutes and agendas of the Parish Council meetings can be viewed on our website www.highstoypc.org.uk. The next Parish Council meeting will take place on the 31May and all are welcome to attend.
Dave Whiteoak
Chairman High Stoy Parish Council
